Autonomous Hedge Trimming Robot

The problem

What the product needed to solve

Hedge maintenance is repetitive physical work, but automating it requires mechanical stability, safe cutting, sensing, and reliable control to work as one system.

Constraints

The realities shaping the work

• Coordinate mechanical, electrical, and control subsystems.
• Design around the physical forces and safety risks of a cutting mechanism.
• Prototype with accessible embedded hardware and components.

Approach

Product and technical direction

A purpose-built robotic platform that combines a trimming mechanism, electrical drive system, sensing, and Arduino-based control for autonomous operation.

Architecture

Clear boundaries between responsibilities

The system is organized around a microcontroller control loop connected to sensing, drive, and trimming subsystems, with the mechanical frame providing the geometry and stability required for repeatable movement.

Implementation highlights

Where the engineering work mattered

• Integrated physical design, electronics, and embedded control into one prototype.
• Worked through real-world tolerances and subsystem dependencies.
• Applied software-style decomposition to a multidisciplinary engineering system.

Outcome

What the work established

• Completed a working final-year engineering project demonstrating end-to-end mechatronics integration.